Epiphany
by tika12001
Summary: It all started when Jane had to interview a 15 year old boy, who had just witnessed his best friend get murdered.


_Authors Note: First of all, OMG I wrote a story. Yes, it's only short, but hey, this is progress. It's been years since I've written something (that I've allowed other people to read...). So... enjoy. Hopefully._

_Unbetaed, possibly full of mistakes, but hopefully it's okay. :-)_

**Title: Epiphany**

**Rating: PG**

**Summary: It all started when Jane had to interview a 15 year old boy, who had just witness his best friend get murdered.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, make no money, yada yada yada. If they were mine, there would be kissing on the show, and not of the male/female variety. Just sayin'.**

**Author: tika12001**

It all started when Jane had to interview a 15 year old boy who had just witnessed his best friend, John Wakeman, get murdered.

"Hi," she said, smiling warmly at the boy and laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I'm Jane,"

"Toby," the boy replied, sniffling quietly.

"Hi Toby. Can you tell me what happened here today?"

Toby was quiet for a while. "Do you have a best friend?" he asked quietly.

Jane smiled, turning her head slightly to look at Maura. "Yes, I do."

"How would you feel if she died?" Toby asked, his eyes, red-rimmed, staring up at her with an almost complete lack of emotion. Jane wasn't prepared for the question, and had to work hard to keep her face neutral. Her stomach felt like it was being shredded at the mere thought and her eyes wanted to well up with tears.

"I... I'd feel..." she trailed off and shook her head, her gaze dropping off to the side as she struggled to find the words.

"Exactly," Toby answered, and Jane felt sympathy so deep that it almost physically hurt.

That was the beginning of the trouble. Toby had to be interviewed at the station twice, plus have a look at a line up of men who may have been the murderer of his best friend. The first time he came in, he studied Jane and Maura's interactions enviously, almost greedily. Jane could see the loss on his face and her heart ached for him, even as she touched Maura a little bit more, looked at her a little bit more. Drank her in, because who knew when life could steal her away.

The second time he came in, the look on his face had changed as he watched Jane and Maura, but Jane didn't notice. She was close to catching the killer, and her whole focus was that.

The third time, Jane led him into a quiet office and shut the door and he rounded on her.

"You lied to me," he accused harshly.

Jane looked bewildered as she replied. "What?"

"You aren't just friends with Dr. Isles. You love her. You're in love with her, just like I was in love with J..." he stopped talking abruptly, but it was enough for Jane. She knew who the killer was.

She, along with Frost, arrested him, the pastor of the local church who was vehemently, and apparently violently, opposed to same-sex couples. But she couldn't get Toby's words out of her head, especially when Korsak called her shortly after the arrest to tell her that Toby had killed himself.

"Pizza and movie tonight?" Maura asked, at the end of the day, her hand falling on Jane's arm as though to shield her from the despair she felt.

"No," Jane replied, perhaps a tad abruptly as Maura's face filled with disappointment and hurt. "No, I just want to go home."

"Oh. Okay," Maura said. Frost looked at Maura, and then stared after Jane in complete confusion as she left hurriedly. He reached out and patted Maura on the arm. Maura looked at him questioningly and he shrugged. He had no clue what was going on in his partner's head at the best of times, let alone right now.

Jane got home and paced up and down. She thought about heating up some food: her stomach turned. She thought she should drink some water and her head pounded. She thought maybe she should sit down: her arms and legs started twitching. She thought about ordering pizza. She thought about ordering pizza with Maura. She thought about sitting down with Maura to eat said pizza. She thought that maybe their legs would touch, their fingers would brush as they each grabbed for a slice, the way Maura's eyes lit up when she laughed. She thought of falling asleep on Maura's shoulder, and Maura not moving her even when she drooled right onto her new silk blouse. She thought of waking up next to Maura, of the way Maura's eyes would crinkle at the corners when she smiled down at her. She thought of how easy and natural it would feel to reach up at that moment, thread her fingers through Maura's hair and pull her head down closer to Jane's own. She thought of kissing Maura. She thought of Maura kissing her back.

"What's that word for sudden realization of great truth?" Jane asked when Maura opened the door. She had no recollection of deciding to come over, of driving over, going to the door or ringing the doorbell, but suddenly Maura was standing in front of her, and Jane simply had to know the answer to this question.

"Epiphany," Maura replied.

"I think I've had an epiphany then."

Maura looked her up and down and stood aside, a silent invitation. Jane walked in.

"What's your epiphany?" Maura asked quietly, and Jane looked over at the pizza box on the table. Rather than answer, she headed over to it lifting up the lid. There were 5 and a half slices left. 5 were still in the original position; one had several bites out of it and was put down as though in a hurry. 1 and a half of the pieces in the box had mushrooms on them. The rest was covered in pepperoni.

"I wasn't going to come over," she said, by way of answering, looking up at Maura.

"I know," Maura replied, walking over and defensively shutting the lid of the box. "That doesn't mean that I don't get hungry." Jane smiled softly at her. Maura pursed her lips then opened the box again. "Hungry?" she asked.

"Starving," Jane answered, but she wasn't talking about the pizza. Maura seemed to realize this, as she let the lid fall shut and crossed her arms across her chest.

"What's your epiphany?" she asked again.

Jane studied the edge of the table. "Toby said to me today, when I interviewed him, that he was glad he still had his time with John. He said, no matter how much John's death hurt, at least he still had his memories. He said he was glad that he wasn't a coward, because he would have missed out on so much."

Maura took a deep breath, looking at Jane. Her brow was furrowed, but she said nothing. Jane stepped forward and took Maura's hands in her own, and watched as Maura's expression changed to wide eyed wonder. Maura looked down at their hands, slowly entwining her finger with Jane's, and looked up at her face. Her tongue slipped out unconsciously and moistened her lips, and Jane's eyes followed the movement.

"I... I guess even the memories hurt him too much." Jane paused, wondering why the words wouldn't come out properly. "He said something to me, and it made me realize... I don't want to be a coward anymore, Maura."

"Then don't be one," Maura said softly, and Jane leaned forward, burying her head in Maura's shoulder.

"Help me," she whispered. Maura pulled her hands free, gently lifting Jane's head from her shoulder, framing her face and brushing dark curls out of the way. Jane's hands found purchase on Maura's hips as the two gained and held eye contact.

"Only if you help me too."

"Always," Jane murmured, and as Maura pulled Jane's head down and angled her own up, Jane couldn't help but think: It all started when she had to interview a 15 year old boy, but that wasn't the real trouble. The real trouble had started when she first met Dr. Maura Isles and fell in love with her. The real trouble was that it had taken her so long to realize her feelings had changed, that instead of being in love as a friend, she felt so much more.

The real trouble was that there was no trouble at all, because this felt as natural as breathing, and there was no awkwardness, because they had been skirting around the issue without realizing for a lifetime.

In fact, when Jane really thought about it, the only real, actual trouble would be deciding on the details of the wedding. She smiled at the thought, started laughing against Maura's lips, and even though Maura was clearly bewildered, she started laughing too. They pulled away from each other as they giggled, then when they settled down, Maura smiled gently at Jane. "Want to watch a movie?"

"Sure, just let me grab some pizza, I really am famished."

She got a piece of pizza and sat down at the table while Maura curled up on the couch and pressed play on the movie. "What are you doing?" Maura asked, and Jane jumped.

"What?"

"Get over here."

Jane smiled and bounded over to the couch, curling into Maura's arms as she munched on her pizza and deciding that, no matter what life handed them, they'd be okay. Because even though Maura was a neat freak who hated food on her sofa, and even though Jane was a slob who couldn't actually remember the last time she ate at her own table willingly, they were happy to do whatever it took to make the other happy. Her smile turned sad as she thought about the picture she had found of John and Toby, their arms around each other.

"Rest in peace, John and Toby," she whispered, raising her beer.

It all started with John and Toby's story. But now it's Jane and Maura's story. And as Maura grabbed Jane's raised hand to join in the toast to the heavens, then turned her head to kiss Jane sweetly on the mouth, Jane decided she was going to make their story a good one.

For John and Toby.

The end.

_Please review. Constructive criticism is welcome, but please don't be mean because then I will cough WITHOUT COVERING MY MOUTH and the germs will get you. They will. *decisive nod* :-)_


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